The interview at the Population Authority: how to prepare

When an interview takes place

Once all the documents have been submitted, the couple is invited to the office of the Population and Immigration Authority, or to an Israeli mission abroad, to present the original documents. Where possible, an interview is held at the same appointment.

The procedures also allow an interview at any other stage of the handling. In the process for partners of permanent residents, both partners are invited to an interview before every extension of the licence.

What the interview checks

• The sincerity of the relationship.
• A shared centre of life in Israel.
• No security or criminal impediment, including a criminal record abroad.

For unmarried couples, the interview also checks that the relationship is exclusive and, if one partner is still married to someone else, the steps taken to end the earlier marriage.

An interview in Israel or abroad

When the foreign partner is abroad, the Israeli partner is interviewed at the office in Israel and the foreign partner at the Israeli mission in the relevant country.

How to prepare

• Go over the story of your relationship together: how and when you met, important events, and when you started living together, as you described it in the letter you submitted.
• Make sure the details you give match what was submitted: addresses, dates and names.
• Bring the original documents you were asked to present, and tidy copies.
• Prepare up-to-date evidence of your shared life, such as bills, a lease and photographs.
• Answer honestly. If you do not remember a detail, it is better to say so than to guess.

What happens after the interview

The decision is given in writing. If the application is refused, the procedures require a reasoned written notice, and the decision can be appealed.

How IsraelVisa helps

IsraelVisa helps you organise the documents and the evidence in one place and arrive at the interview prepared, yourselves and at your own pace. If you wish, you can also turn to a lawyer later on.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an interview at every stage of the process?

The procedures allow an invitation to an interview at any stage. In the process for partners of permanent residents, an interview is held before every extension of the licence.

What do we bring to the interview?

The original documents you were asked to present, and up-to-date evidence of your shared life.

Related guides

• The Gradual Process: how a foreign partner gets status in Israel
• Documents for the Gradual Process: what to collect, and in what form

Sources

• Procedure 5.2.0008 - status for a foreign spouse married to an Israeli citizen (Hebrew)
• Procedure 5.2.0009 - applications for status on the basis of a shared life (Hebrew)
• Procedure 5.2.0011 - status for a foreign spouse married to a permanent resident (Hebrew)